Opened to celebrate my son’s 15th birthday and poured alongside the 2006 Eagle’s Trace “Latitude 38”. The 2006 Seavey Caravina pours a deep garnet color with a completely opaque core. No obvious signs of age in the glass. Medium+ viscosity. On the nose, medium+ intensity, with strong pipe tobacco notes, currants, black cherry, figs, some green bell pepper and leather. On the palate dark fruits dominate with black cherry, black currants and blackberries. The tobacco and leather is also there accompanied by semi-sweet baking chocolate, baking spice and some anise. The wine finishes dry with medium tannins, most of which are well integrated at this point. Medium+ acid. Medium plus alcohol. The finish is long. Another very lovely vintage of Caravina, aging gracefully.
Glad I waited until the last bottle! Burnt cherry, cigar box, loam blended perfectly with smooth tannins. Fruit bombs be damned! It’s the complex blending of a variety of flavors that makes a wine great!
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Wow - punching way, way above its weight what a lovely surprise. Picked this up from the club for $39 a bottle a while back. Just a really lovely well done balanced Napa cab with dark fruit, some leather, spices, loamy soil and a nice backbone of acidity keeping it fresh. My sense is that this will continue to hold quite nicely - I would safely push the drinking window out another 10 years. The cork was very dry and crumbled on opening so would recommend using the Durand. Also heavy sediment - so recommend a good decant.
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Dark cherry and earth flavors, solid mouthfeel and medium to heavy body. The tannins are almost fully resolved and the finish is a bit short, but this is a really enjoyable wine. Should have a couple more years left but nearing the end of prime time.
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In the glass 20 minutes before tasting. Dark ruby color, no bricking. Nose of cedar, with some blackberry. Weighty mouthfeel with blackberry replicating on the palate. Astringent tannins on the attack, but in good balance with the acid. The fruit is a bit retiring to enjoy the wine on its own - this is a wine for food. Enjoyable and well worth the $36 I paid WTSO.
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This wine is nearing the end of it's public drinking window. Weighs in at 14.5% abv, showing as a dark ruby color. Nose is immediately burnt ember with stewed cherry fruit, with tertiary scents like beef stock and savory earth-and-mushroom in the background. The palate reveals a full bodied wine, with resolving tannins that still show up with a faint grittiness and dusty mouthfeel. The stewed cherry fruit comes through in spades, but in a good way...followed by gravel-and-rock flavors. No feeling of heat on the palate, and the finish lingers nicely. Delicious Napa Cab Sauv, drinking beautifully now. I wouldn't wait, because it is in a beautiful place right now.
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Nose of campfire, oak, black fruit and spice, Soft, silky, lush, well rounded mouthfeel, a bit of green pepper & tannins and a touch of over extraction / black fruit on the finish. Just misses the mark but has aged nicely and offer pleasant drinking from the big 2004 vintage.
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Nice structure, early tertiary development (I see my last note 9/2015 reflected more development, not sure whether bottle or drinker variation :P). Well balanced and a medium finish.
A beauty in its stride. Good for 5 years, maybe more. 92+
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Wow. Purple with sediment. Chocolate and leather nose. Chocolate, cherry, earthen flavor. Decanted, this gets bigger as the night goes on. A bit of harness on the finish but overall a big blast of flavors. Quite nice drinking.
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Have had a bottle of this each of the last 3 years and this 4th bottle was definitely the best. I would say it is just entering it prime drinking window. Gave it about a 20 min decant. Good nose and slightly unusual flavor profile. Can not put my finger on just exactly how this differed from most cabs but it does and in a good way. Long finish and a fair amount of sediment . My last bottle and i wish I would have waited with the first 3 bottles . Totally changed my opinion of this brand. 91--92
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- Garnet color with a medium/full body with a long finish - Very nice smooth nice balanced tannins long finish moderate to above average bouquet with nice smooth taste from from start to finish. Decanted about 90 min before tasting good amount of sediment
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More promising on the nose than on the palate. The tannins are simply too bitter on this wine, which is unfortunate given how delicious other vintages have been. Not sure further cellaring will make much difference, unfortunately.
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Winemaker Interview - Jim Duane of Seavey Vineyards (Remote): This is a monster cab. If you are a big Robert Parker fan, this is his kind of wine. Initially, the nose was hot and a bit funky with a very closed flavor profile. For an 8-year-old cab, this wine is STILL drinking very young. After 3 hour decant… Much of the alcohol has blown off now, but is still present. The nose has plum, blackberry, a touch of herbaceousness and menthol. It has a very complex palate of typical Cabernet Sauvignon flavors – black fruit, leather, tar, graphite, dark chocolate and oak. The wine shows a very long bitter chocolate finish. The age has resolved the tannins somewhat and they are now medium-high, but still a bit grainy. The wine is very acidic and would be best drunk accompanying a rare steak. The texture is full, fleshy and soft. This needs more time in the bottle to come together. I am looking forward to popping the next bottle after several more years. This wine has plenty of structure to hold up into the next decade. A suggested prime drinking window might be 2017-2020.
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Loved this cabernet! Good acidity and moderate tannins. Shows lots of dark fruit upfront, followed by that classic graphite, smoke and leather that I always get with a well balanced Napa Cab. Just outstanding now and will be for several more years. But I can't think of a reason to gamble and wait with how it's drinking now.
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Opened last nite and enjoyed 1/2 the bottle with filet mignon. Bottle put back in the cellar. The TN is from today. Deep ruby at the core, fading to a med tawny rim. The nose is developing, showing off med(-) intensity black cherry, tart plum skin, hot asphalt, pencil lead, and fig. Smells complex and delicious. The palate shows off a dry wine, full bodied, med(+) alcohol (listed 14.5% abv), and the alcohol is slightly apparent on the palate. Flavors ae med intensity and consist of black cherry, blackberry, tart plum skin, earthy notes of tobacco and pencil shavings, and some terroir/minerality. The resolving tannins are med intensity and round/supple, and the acidity is med intensity, making this wine well balanced and ageable. This is a mature wine with nice complexity, great balance, that Is drinking beautifully now, and although starting to lose a bit of its fruit, should continue to drink well through 2017 or so.
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Dark crimson color turning violet at the rim with an earth nose of black fruit. The palate is sleek but structured with a silky texture featuring currant, cassis and smoke. Made in the old style - balancing acidity, alcohol and fruit ripeness. Finishes round and supple with hints of juicy blackberry and tobacco. Yummy! Drink now until 2021.
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- Smooth texture with a medium finish - Drinking wonderful right now! Aromas of ripe red fruit, primarily cherry and blackberry, soil notes and moderate alcohol. The tannins are soft on the palate, with complex fruit, hints of tobacco, with a fantastic mouth feel. On the finish there is plenty of coffee and cocoa. Gorgeous now, glad we have more in the cellar! Can not wait to taste it in a year!
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A delicious and mature bottle of Cali Cab. Deep ruby at the core, fades to med ruby/tawny at the rim. Nose is clean, developing, showing off med intensity aromas of ripe red cherry, slight menthol notes, blackberry, tobacco, and wet soil. The palate shows off a dry wine that is full in body, med in alcohol, showing off med intensity flavors of red and black cherry, cassis, charcoal, mint, and a background minerality. The tannins are nicely resolving, but by no means is this wine thin or flabby. The acidity is med, the finish is med+ with ripe cherries, charcoal embers, and soil notes. A very good quality wine, showing perhaps slightly less exciting as a year ago, but a great wine nonetheless, marvelously paired with ribeye. Should continue to drink well another 4-5 years, but I think it is gorgeous now, drink up.
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Decanted an hour and drank over the next two hours. Fair amount of sediment. Cassis, black cherry, anise, with integrated tannins and a long smooth finish. This is a great wine!
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Second tasting with consistent notes. Decanted overnight then tasted over the next 8 hours. Moderate amount of sediment, medium sized chunks. After the lond decant, tannins had softened up greatly and the fruit peeked through. As I've observed before, I think a 24 hour decant is required for Seavey cabs. These wines are still dominated by aromatics. At $55, this wine has a lot more complexity than other comparably priced wines.
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I tasted this wine with Dorie Seavey at the vineyard and was quite impressed, so bought a couple of bottles from their library. Decanted about 7 hours, then consumed over the next 24. Moderate amount of sediment, medium sized chunks. This wine continued to improve after 24 hours, showing no sign of oxidation. Wonderful on day 2 (hence my high rating), tannins had softened up greatly and loads of fruit peeked through. This is definitely the most fruit filled Seavey Caravina I've had to date. I think a 24 hour decant is required for these wines. I will be buying more. Even at $55, this wine has a lot more complexity than other comparably priced wines.
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Similar to what we tasted at winery, with the fruit now in balance with the grippy tannins. Also had some herbal aromas such as anise, tobacco, and bell pepper. This wine was good on its own, but paired AMAZINGLY well with a T-bone, with the flavors truly popping. The finish was long with moderate complexity.
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Napa & Sonoma favorites in 3 short days...; 9/21/2012-9/24/2012 (Napa & Sonoma Valley wineries): Tasted at the tasting room. This wine was poured to compare to the 2009 Caravina, which is the current release. The 2006 is noticeably lighter in color and more developed, showing a deep ruby at the core, fading to a medium ruby rim. The wine has medium intensity on the nose, offering up equal amounts of black cherry and cassis fruit, as well as moist soil notes and saddle leather. On the palate, the wine is med(+) in body, with no heat apparent from the alcohol. The black fruits are well intermingled with the savory soil and leather notes, adding tobacco and light charcoal notes. The medium level of tannins are well integrated and velvety, and the wine is in a beautiful spot for drinking now through 2020. Tasty juice.
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Honeymoon Wine Tasting; 6/25/2012-7/3/2012 (California - Napa & Sonoma Counties): Tasted at Winery. 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot. Dark red with some bricking on rim. Aromas of earth, loam, cherry, oak, and currant. Slightly sweet yet well balanced, with strong structure and grippy tannins. The finish is long with moderate complexity. This wine is drinking very well now and may continue to improve.
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Washington Wine Trip; 6/15/2012-6/19/2012: Enjoyed this bottle over lunch at a local Woodinville, WA restaurant, the Barking Frog. PnP, deep garnet in color, 14.5% abv. Deep dark fruits on the nose, ripe black cherry and plum, a bit of licorice and tobacco on the nose. Offers up black currant / cassis on the palate, a bit of a pruney quality, some tar and minerality on the palate. The tannins are softer and very soft at this point, and the wine is drinking beautifully. Should last another 5-7 years or so.
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Dark purple in color. Graphite, rocks, pure cassis and a mineral streak on the nose. Very gorgeous tannic structure as the palate opens into a Bordeaux-esque mouthfeel, a bit rustic, with black cherry and black currant fruit, the coffee grounds, moist soil, perfect balance of great acidity and ripeness of the fruit, this is absolutely, drop dead gorgeous, terrific. "Second" wine of Seavey? Seriously...this is first rate in every way. I have 2 more, wish I had a full case.
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Good but not up to the terrific 2004 version, which is still drinking great. This has nice fruit but is missing a bit in the midpalate and just doesn't have the complexity I associate with this vineyard. Decent QPR at $35 (esp. with the '07 selling for $60).
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Rip, dark fruits - mostly currant, plum and prune, along with spice and wood on the nose. Aromas follow thru to the palate with good concentration and depth. Soft, lush, velvety mouthfeel. Very nice rich, ripe flavors and texture, but still just a bit short on structure for my palate. This would be really terrific with more backbone, as it is, it is simply very nice and enjoyable.
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Good, better just drinking then with the food I had. Eat ribs and beans, salad. Gave a bitter taste. Otherwise pretty good wine - next time I will just drink it without food or with maybe something sweet. Cheese?
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Good and very similar to a bottle a few months ago. Nice nose of dark fruits, spice and some oak. Dark and red fruits on the palate with some oak, spice and vanilla. Slightly fleshy, and without as much structure as I would have preferred. Rounded edges, and a smooth mouthfeel. Nice fruity finish. Good flavors, but just a bit too soft to pair properly with a steak. 90+
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What a difference between the beautiful rich currant and dark fruit nose and actually tasting the wine. Was surprised how thin this Cab tasted...the fruit was muted and the finish was fast and furious. Frankly was disappointed with this wine, particularly coming from Seavey.
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Medium ruby color. Visually thinner than I would have expected. Blue and black fruit on the nose with a ton of wood. I think was too young to open. Not very well integrated yet. I felt it was chewy and angular. If I had more, I wouldn't open for 2-3 yrs.
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A pretty ruby shade of crimson with edges that seem to glow. The nose shows the PV. There is a very sumptuous quality as this wine crosses the palate; it explodes with blue and black fruits with crushed blackberry being in the forefront. There is some tart cherries and red cassis in there as well. A silky mouth feel, this really shines bright in its glory; it's a fun wine that reminds you not to get too serious about things. Its playful medley has some pencil shavings, broken river stones and earthiness, just not 'terroir'. The tannins are round and full and acidity is lively. This will be a perfect match for my mid-fall bbq of rosemary lamb chops with sautéed baby Bella mushrooms in about an hour. Hopefully it lasts. A nice long finish that dries out ever so little at the end. All in all a great little package for $36. Parker hit it right on the nose with this one. I would not mind trying the estate of the same vintage soon.
3/23/2012: Today I make good on that last comment. 2006 seavey Napa on WTSO for $55. grabbed two. We shall see.
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Big bold aromas of cassis and oak. Ripe, rich, concentrated dark fruits with some vanilla, spice and oak. Fleshy with a lot of structure and a bit of heat on the palate. Good depth of flavors, decent complexity and a long finish. Very enjoyable but still young and a bit rough and rugged. This has a lot of potential to improve.
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I opened this up for my wife as it is more her style than mine. The nose has vanilla, herbal and good earth over tone. The midpalet showed dark fruit tobacco with a tight and long finish the turned into black licorise.
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12/26/2023 - JBNH Likes this wine: 92 Points
Outstanding! Still has life left in it.
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10/16/2021 - thesternowl wrote: 93 Points
Opened to celebrate my son’s 15th birthday and poured alongside the 2006 Eagle’s Trace “Latitude 38”. The 2006 Seavey Caravina pours a deep garnet color with a completely opaque core. No obvious signs of age in the glass. Medium+ viscosity. On the nose, medium+ intensity, with strong pipe tobacco notes, currants, black cherry, figs, some green bell pepper and leather. On the palate dark fruits dominate with black cherry, black currants and blackberries. The tobacco and leather is also there accompanied by semi-sweet baking chocolate, baking spice and some anise. The wine finishes dry with medium tannins, most of which are well integrated at this point. Medium+ acid. Medium plus alcohol. The finish is long. Another very lovely vintage of Caravina, aging gracefully.
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5/11/2021 - hunicke Likes this wine: 99 Points
10 mins in - low tannin high acidity, hints of celery, chocolate and smoke
20 in - rose and cherry notes but still soft on the finish
40 - rich vanilla full body - will sour soon. RIP!!
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9/11/2020 - drmarc61 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Glad I waited until the last bottle! Burnt cherry, cigar box, loam blended perfectly with smooth tannins. Fruit bombs be damned! It’s the complex blending of a variety of flavors that makes a wine great!
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7/25/2020 - webbaker Likes this wine: 93 Points
Impressive, considering the age and price at release. This wine has aged really well, the fruits are still fresh, the tannins have integrated.
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2/2/2020 - chester100 wrote: flawed
Cork failed
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11/22/2018 - danscellar wrote: 91 Points
Just like the one before it.
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11/21/2018 - danscellar wrote: 92 Points
Nice second label from Seavey!! Not near as Big and complex as it’s Big Brother but certainly brings some game. Enjoy!
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11/18/2018 - danscellar wrote: 91 Points
Good solid second label, drinking well.
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10/11/2018 - Bathtub58 wrote: 89 Points
A value oriented Cabernet from Napa. Drinking fine. Balanced and showing some secondary characteristics. Not a memorable wine.
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3/2/2018 - retired_and_roving Likes this wine: 93 Points
Wow - punching way, way above its weight what a lovely surprise. Picked this up from the club for $39 a bottle a while back. Just a really lovely well done balanced Napa cab with dark fruit, some leather, spices, loamy soil and a nice backbone of acidity keeping it fresh. My sense is that this will continue to hold quite nicely - I would safely push the drinking window out another 10 years. The cork was very dry and crumbled on opening so would recommend using the Durand. Also heavy sediment - so recommend a good decant.
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11/28/2017 - Hamersly wrote: 91 Points
Dark cherry and earth flavors, solid mouthfeel and medium to heavy body. The tannins are almost fully resolved and the finish is a bit short, but this is a really enjoyable wine. Should have a couple more years left but nearing the end of prime time.
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3/4/2017 - CDH Likes this wine: 90 Points
In the glass 20 minutes before tasting. Dark ruby color, no bricking. Nose of cedar, with some blackberry. Weighty mouthfeel with blackberry replicating on the palate. Astringent tannins on the attack, but in good balance with the acid. The fruit is a bit retiring to enjoy the wine on its own - this is a wine for food. Enjoyable and well worth the $36 I paid WTSO.
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1/29/2017 - drrobvino wrote: 92 Points
This wine is nearing the end of it's public drinking window. Weighs in at 14.5% abv, showing as a dark ruby color.
Nose is immediately burnt ember with stewed cherry fruit, with tertiary scents like beef stock and savory earth-and-mushroom in the background.
The palate reveals a full bodied wine, with resolving tannins that still show up with a faint grittiness and dusty mouthfeel. The stewed cherry fruit comes through in spades, but in a good way...followed by gravel-and-rock flavors. No feeling of heat on the palate, and the finish lingers nicely.
Delicious Napa Cab Sauv, drinking beautifully now. I wouldn't wait, because it is in a beautiful place right now.
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1/22/2017 - Eags25 wrote: 88 Points
Nose of campfire, oak, black fruit and spice, Soft, silky, lush, well rounded mouthfeel, a bit of green pepper & tannins and a touch of over extraction / black fruit on the finish. Just misses the mark but has aged nicely and offer pleasant drinking from the big 2004 vintage.
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11/5/2016 - Empirate wrote: 92 Points
Slo-ox x 6 hours then enjoyed over 2 hour dinner.
Nice structure, early tertiary development (I see my last note 9/2015 reflected more development, not sure whether bottle or drinker variation :P). Well balanced and a medium finish.
A beauty in its stride. Good for 5 years, maybe more. 92+
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9/20/2016 - Mapleglo330 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Wow. Purple with sediment. Chocolate and leather nose. Chocolate, cherry, earthen flavor. Decanted, this gets bigger as the night goes on. A bit of harness on the finish but overall a big blast of flavors. Quite nice drinking.
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4/16/2016 - CMN wrote: 87 Points
Dark red and black fruits with noticeable tannins and some vanilla on the finish. Smooth palate.
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1/28/2016 - americanstorm Likes this wine: 91 Points
Have had a bottle of this each of the last 3 years and this 4th bottle was definitely the best. I would say it is just entering it prime drinking window. Gave it about a 20 min decant. Good nose and slightly unusual flavor profile. Can not put my finger on just exactly how this differed from most cabs but it does and in a good way. Long finish and a fair amount of sediment . My last bottle and i wish I would have waited with the first 3 bottles . Totally changed my opinion of this brand. 91--92
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1/7/2016 - forloveofwine wrote: 90 Points
- Garnet color with a medium/full body with a long finish - Very nice smooth nice balanced tannins long finish moderate to above average bouquet with nice smooth taste from from start to finish. Decanted about 90 min before tasting good amount of sediment
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10/7/2015 - EMTAME wrote: 89 Points
I think there's some variation with the 2006 Caravina. However, even the better bottles I've had don't compete with the 2004 version.
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9/2/2015 - Empirate wrote: 92 Points
Decanted moderate+ sediment and aired for 1.5 hours.
Dark red/blue fruit with light floral nose. Concentrated maturing fruit palate with touch of medicine and lingering wood spice.
Balanced with nice acidity for our grilled lamb chops and stood well on its own as we conversed after the meal.
For me, will drink my other bottle in the next year to enjoy the ample tertiary notes. Further development +/-.
Lovely, 92+, well done!
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4/28/2015 - EMTAME wrote: 87 Points
More promising on the nose than on the palate. The tannins are simply too bitter on this wine, which is unfortunate given how delicious other vintages have been. Not sure further cellaring will make much difference, unfortunately.
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12/1/2014 - pdadams66 Likes this wine: 90 Points
Classy cabernet, cassis and smoke. Drinking okay right now, but will improve over the next 3 years.
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10/4/2014 - redsonly wrote: 92 Points
Loved it night 1, loved it night 2. So well made, beautiful to drink. Wish I had more.
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7/22/2014 - djlevin wrote: 90 Points
Winemaker Interview - Jim Duane of Seavey Vineyards (Remote): This is a monster cab. If you are a big Robert Parker fan, this is his kind of wine. Initially, the nose was hot and a bit funky with a very closed flavor profile. For an 8-year-old cab, this wine is STILL drinking very young. After 3 hour decant… Much of the alcohol has blown off now, but is still present. The nose has plum, blackberry, a touch of herbaceousness and menthol. It has a very complex palate of typical Cabernet Sauvignon flavors – black fruit, leather, tar, graphite, dark chocolate and oak. The wine shows a very long bitter chocolate finish. The age has resolved the tannins somewhat and they are now medium-high, but still a bit grainy. The wine is very acidic and would be best drunk accompanying a rare steak. The texture is full, fleshy and soft. This needs more time in the bottle to come together. I am looking forward to popping the next bottle after several more years. This wine has plenty of structure to hold up into the next decade. A suggested prime drinking window might be 2017-2020.
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6/6/2014 - WineCPA wrote: 93 Points
Loved this cabernet! Good acidity and moderate tannins. Shows lots of dark fruit upfront, followed by that classic graphite, smoke and leather that I always get with a well balanced Napa Cab. Just outstanding now and will be for several more years. But I can't think of a reason to gamble and wait with how it's drinking now.
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5/18/2014 - drmarc61 wrote: 92 Points
delightful second cab from them that is in it's drinking window. needed about 30-45' air time to open up.
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4/29/2014 - americanstorm Likes this wine: 88 Points
Ok cab, nothing special. Many cabs just as good for less money.
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3/1/2014 - americanstorm wrote: flawed
cork was stuck in bottle and had to be pieced out after the center was pulled out by the screw
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2/15/2014 - drrobvino wrote: 92 Points
Opened last nite and enjoyed 1/2 the bottle with filet mignon. Bottle put back in the cellar. The TN is from today.
Deep ruby at the core, fading to a med tawny rim.
The nose is developing, showing off med(-) intensity black cherry, tart plum skin, hot asphalt, pencil lead, and fig. Smells complex and delicious.
The palate shows off a dry wine, full bodied, med(+) alcohol (listed 14.5% abv), and the alcohol is slightly apparent on the palate. Flavors ae med intensity and consist of black cherry, blackberry, tart plum skin, earthy notes of tobacco and pencil shavings, and some terroir/minerality. The resolving tannins are med intensity and round/supple, and the acidity is med intensity, making this wine well balanced and ageable.
This is a mature wine with nice complexity, great balance, that Is drinking beautifully now, and although starting to lose a bit of its fruit, should continue to drink well through 2017 or so.
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1/5/2014 - Life At Your Leisure 🍷 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Dark crimson color turning violet at the rim with an earth nose of black fruit. The palate is sleek but structured with a silky texture featuring currant, cassis and smoke. Made in the old style - balancing acidity, alcohol and fruit ripeness. Finishes round and supple with hints of juicy blackberry and tobacco. Yummy! Drink now until 2021.
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1/1/2014 - sterin Likes this wine: 93 Points
Drinking really well now, but will last.
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11/27/2013 - SStarkjohann wrote: 94 Points
- Smooth texture with a medium finish - Drinking wonderful right now! Aromas of ripe red fruit, primarily cherry and blackberry, soil notes and moderate alcohol. The tannins are soft on the palate, with complex fruit, hints of tobacco, with a fantastic mouth feel. On the finish there is plenty of coffee and cocoa. Gorgeous now, glad we have more in the cellar! Can not wait to taste it in a year!
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10/2/2013 - sterin wrote: 94 Points
This wine really surprised me. I Coravined a small glass last night and it was delicious. Plenty of fruit, complexity, and structure to last a while.
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8/14/2013 - WDSteers wrote: 90 Points
coffee, cocoa and black raspberry. very ripe, good acidity
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7/31/2013 - drrobvino wrote: 90 Points
A delicious and mature bottle of Cali Cab.
Deep ruby at the core, fades to med ruby/tawny at the rim.
Nose is clean, developing, showing off med intensity aromas of ripe red cherry, slight menthol notes, blackberry, tobacco, and wet soil.
The palate shows off a dry wine that is full in body, med in alcohol, showing off med intensity flavors of red and black cherry, cassis, charcoal, mint, and a background minerality. The tannins are nicely resolving, but by no means is this wine thin or flabby. The acidity is med, the finish is med+ with ripe cherries, charcoal embers, and soil notes.
A very good quality wine, showing perhaps slightly less exciting as a year ago, but a great wine nonetheless, marvelously paired with ribeye. Should continue to drink well another 4-5 years, but I think it is gorgeous now, drink up.
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7/21/2013 - Bluethunder wrote: 94 Points
Decanted an hour and drank over the next two hours. Fair amount of sediment. Cassis, black cherry, anise, with integrated tannins and a long smooth finish. This is a great wine!
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6/12/2013 - webbaker Likes this wine: 93 Points
Second tasting with consistent notes. Decanted overnight then tasted over the next 8 hours. Moderate amount of sediment, medium sized chunks. After the lond decant, tannins had softened up greatly and the fruit peeked through. As I've observed before, I think a 24 hour decant is required for Seavey cabs. These wines are still dominated by aromatics. At $55, this wine has a lot more complexity than other comparably priced wines.
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4/13/2013 - webbaker Likes this wine: 94 Points
I tasted this wine with Dorie Seavey at the vineyard and was quite impressed, so bought a couple of bottles from their library. Decanted about 7 hours, then consumed over the next 24. Moderate amount of sediment, medium sized chunks. This wine continued to improve after 24 hours, showing no sign of oxidation. Wonderful on day 2 (hence my high rating), tannins had softened up greatly and loads of fruit peeked through. This is definitely the most fruit filled Seavey Caravina I've had to date. I think a 24 hour decant is required for these wines. I will be buying more. Even at $55, this wine has a lot more complexity than other comparably priced wines.
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1/13/2013 - rcc777 wrote: 88 Points
Considerably more developed than the 09 at this point, it's still not a big or particularly nuanced cab. long finish.
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10/13/2012 - GoBlue2002 wrote: 93 Points
Similar to what we tasted at winery, with the fruit now in balance with the grippy tannins. Also had some herbal aromas such as anise, tobacco, and bell pepper. This wine was good on its own, but paired AMAZINGLY well with a T-bone, with the flavors truly popping. The finish was long with moderate complexity.
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9/21/2012 - drrobvino wrote: 92 Points
Napa & Sonoma favorites in 3 short days...; 9/21/2012-9/24/2012 (Napa & Sonoma Valley wineries): Tasted at the tasting room. This wine was poured to compare to the 2009 Caravina, which is the current release. The 2006 is noticeably lighter in color and more developed, showing a deep ruby at the core, fading to a medium ruby rim. The wine has medium intensity on the nose, offering up equal amounts of black cherry and cassis fruit, as well as moist soil notes and saddle leather. On the palate, the wine is med(+) in body, with no heat apparent from the alcohol. The black fruits are well intermingled with the savory soil and leather notes, adding tobacco and light charcoal notes. The medium level of tannins are well integrated and velvety, and the wine is in a beautiful spot for drinking now through 2020. Tasty juice.
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8/7/2012 - MLevin wrote: 95 Points
Excellent - full with nice blackberry and long finish. silky and drinking well right now
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7/25/2012 - vinole wrote: 91 Points
Napa & Sonoma Trip (Dunn, O'Shaughnessy, Conn Valley, Seavey, TOR, Jemrose, Hansel); 7/23/2012-7/26/2012: Darker fruit of currants and blackberry with good structure and tannic backbone that is starting to soften. Medium to full body and medium acidity. Nice balance and drinking well now.
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6/26/2012 - GoBlue2002 wrote: 92 Points
Honeymoon Wine Tasting; 6/25/2012-7/3/2012 (California - Napa & Sonoma Counties): Tasted at Winery. 96% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Petit Verdot. Dark red with some bricking on rim. Aromas of earth, loam, cherry, oak, and currant. Slightly sweet yet well balanced, with strong structure and grippy tannins. The finish is long with moderate complexity. This wine is drinking very well now and may continue to improve.
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6/18/2012 - drrobvino wrote: 92 Points
Washington Wine Trip; 6/15/2012-6/19/2012: Enjoyed this bottle over lunch at a local Woodinville, WA restaurant, the Barking Frog. PnP, deep garnet in color, 14.5% abv.
Deep dark fruits on the nose, ripe black cherry and plum, a bit of licorice and tobacco on the nose. Offers up black currant / cassis on the palate, a bit of a pruney quality, some tar and minerality on the palate. The tannins are softer and very soft at this point, and the wine is drinking beautifully. Should last another 5-7 years or so.
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6/8/2012 - drrobvino wrote: 93 Points
Dark purple in color. Graphite, rocks, pure cassis and a mineral streak on the nose. Very gorgeous tannic structure as the palate opens into a Bordeaux-esque mouthfeel, a bit rustic, with black cherry and black currant fruit, the coffee grounds, moist soil, perfect balance of great acidity and ripeness of the fruit, this is absolutely, drop dead gorgeous, terrific. "Second" wine of Seavey? Seriously...this is first rate in every way. I have 2 more, wish I had a full case.
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5/9/2012 - EMTAME wrote: 89 Points
Good but not up to the terrific 2004 version, which is still drinking great. This has nice fruit but is missing a bit in the midpalate and just doesn't have the complexity I associate with this vineyard. Decent QPR at $35 (esp. with the '07 selling for $60).
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5/3/2012 - Lee Fining wrote: 90 Points
Medium dark garnet red. Aromas of smoke, meat, sweet cigar tobacco and wood. Well balanced, good but austere fruit.
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1/22/2012 - meatman wrote: 90 Points
Very nice second wine by Seavey
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11/15/2011 - rickspicks wrote: 90 Points
Rip, dark fruits - mostly currant, plum and prune, along with spice and wood on the nose. Aromas follow thru to the palate with good concentration and depth. Soft, lush, velvety mouthfeel. Very nice rich, ripe flavors and texture, but still just a bit short on structure for my palate. This would be really terrific with more backbone, as it is, it is simply very nice and enjoyable.
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9/23/2011 - chodur wrote: 88 Points
Good, better just drinking then with the food I had. Eat ribs and beans, salad. Gave a bitter taste. Otherwise pretty good wine - next time I will just drink it without food or with maybe something sweet. Cheese?
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5/27/2011 - rickspicks wrote: 90 Points
Good and very similar to a bottle a few months ago. Nice nose of dark fruits, spice and some oak. Dark and red fruits on the palate with some oak, spice and vanilla. Slightly fleshy, and without as much structure as I would have preferred. Rounded edges, and a smooth mouthfeel. Nice fruity finish. Good flavors, but just a bit too soft to pair properly with a steak. 90+
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5/4/2011 - Schiffy wrote: 87 Points
What a difference between the beautiful rich currant and dark fruit nose and actually tasting the wine. Was surprised how thin this Cab tasted...the fruit was muted and the finish was fast and furious. Frankly was disappointed with this wine, particularly coming from Seavey.
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3/9/2011 - BMG Wine wrote: 89 Points
Medium ruby color. Visually thinner than I would have expected. Blue and black fruit on the nose with a ton of wood. I think was too young to open. Not very well integrated yet. I felt it was chewy and angular. If I had more, I wouldn't open for 2-3 yrs.
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10/16/2010 - King Cab wrote: 91 Points
A pretty ruby shade of crimson with edges that seem to glow. The nose shows the PV. There is a very sumptuous quality as this wine crosses the palate; it explodes with blue and black fruits with crushed blackberry being in the forefront. There is some tart cherries and red cassis in there as well. A silky mouth feel, this really shines bright in its glory; it's a fun wine that reminds you not to get too serious about things. Its playful medley has some pencil shavings, broken river stones and earthiness, just not 'terroir'. The tannins are round and full and acidity is lively. This will be a perfect match for my mid-fall bbq of rosemary lamb chops with sautéed baby Bella mushrooms in about an hour. Hopefully it lasts. A nice long finish that dries out ever so little at the end. All in all a great little package for $36. Parker hit it right on the nose with this one.
I would not mind trying the estate of the same vintage soon.
3/23/2012: Today I make good on that last comment. 2006 seavey Napa on WTSO for $55. grabbed two. We shall see.
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10/15/2010 - rickspicks wrote: 91 Points
Big bold aromas of cassis and oak. Ripe, rich, concentrated dark fruits with some vanilla, spice and oak. Fleshy with a lot of structure and a bit of heat on the palate. Good depth of flavors, decent complexity and a long finish. Very enjoyable but still young and a bit rough and rugged. This has a lot of potential to improve.
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8/14/2010 - mjsherwin68 wrote: 91 Points
I opened this up for my wife as it is more her style than mine. The nose has vanilla, herbal and good earth over tone. The midpalet showed dark fruit tobacco with a tight and long finish the turned into black licorise.
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7/25/2010 - RMundell Likes this wine: 88 Points
Decent wine. Still to young. Green.
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7/19/2010 - Ben Christiansen wrote:
A touch of green and tobacco on the nose. Nice complexity but suprising that they let they aromas go here. Those radicals at Seavey!
Apperently allot of cabernet franc in the blend? No Petit Verdot. Hmm.. the story is getting mixed up. Over, and way over at $55.
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5/15/2010 - pkbackman wrote: 93 Points
This is a great wine. Wish I bought more when it was available on WTSO. Luscious creamy dark fruit. Touch of vanilla oak. Smooth. And delicious.
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2/26/2010 - SLOPPYdeCHAO wrote: 92 Points
Deep dark fruit on the nose; jammy with smooth tannins; delicious, long finish. I like it better than the first label cab.
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